Caesar Ritz Inventions

The gentleman whose last name is now synonymous with luxury and is credited with inventing the luxury hotel experience also dreamed up some of the very amenities we have in our homes today. Caesar Ritz was the “King of Hoteliers and the Hotelier of Kings” and lived by the maxim, ‘the customer is always right.’ He managed hotels but the first under his own name was the Paris Ritz on the Place Vendôme, a former prince’s palace, which opened in 1898 and stands today still as one of the world’s most luxurious hotels.

M. Ritz created new standards for hotel guests including an ensuite bathroom in each room. He pioneered the use of indirect lighting, which served to flatter the complexions and the glittering jewels of his dining guests. His lighting revelation is said to have stemmed from a power outage at the hotel. To remedy it, he set up a sea of candles which turned a crisis into a creative and memorable solution. In addition, he is credited with creating the king-size bathtub, king-size bed (with down pillows of course), and closets that illuminate upon opening the door. I haven’t been an overnight guest at the Ritz, but enjoyed their newly remodeled Bar Hemingway in 2016, and even as a guest of the bar, was made to feel like royalty!